


When the Demons Cry

by ginnekomiko



Category: Higurashi no Naku Koro ni | Higurashi When They Cry, InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: Crossover, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-17
Updated: 2014-11-17
Packaged: 2018-02-25 19:06:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 28
Words: 8,951
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2632868
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ginnekomiko/pseuds/ginnekomiko
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When the Demons Cry is an InuYasha/ Higurashi no naku koro ni cross with the InuYasha cast playing roles similar to the Higurashi cast. As such, discretion will be advised.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Sengokuzawa

**Author's Note:**

> At the time of posting, I have completed the "Question arcs." If people want me to do the "Answer arcs" let me know!

Things were finally looking up for him.

It had been hard moving to a new place, especially since the only ones who accompanied him was his stupid older brother and the butler.

Their parents had died not that long ago. He came home to it. Father was lying over mother as if to protect her. Something horrible had clawed them to pieces.

Sesshomaru looked at the carnage and barely blinked. He took him by the shoulder.

“Come, we must leave.”

He never told him why. They simply packed up and left, taking Jaken, the butler, with them.

 That was how he found himself in the small, quiet, town of Sengokuzawa. He was greeted warmly by a girl named Kagome. She and her twin sister, Sango, were in his class at school. Through them, he met another girl named Ayame. The four of them formed a strange little group.

“Inuya-kun, you got hurt again,” Sango said as she tried her best to tend his cuts.

“It wasn’t my fault; that dumb Kouga started it. Ayame, can’t you do something about him? You’ve known him forever, right?”

“I’ll talk to him, but you really shouldn’t go picking fights with people like him, Inuya-kun.”

“Wait, I thought you said Kouga started it,” Kagome said.

“He did,” he protested.

“Kouga threw the first punch, but Inuya-kun started the fight,” Ayame said.

“Over what?” Kagome asked.

“Nothing!” he snapped.

“Inuya-kun, we’re going to see Miroku-sensei,” Kagome said as she dragged him by the ear.

There was a doctor named Miroku in Sengokuzawa. When they entered, he was looking after the town’s tiny priestess.

“Now take good care of yourselves and drink lots of fluids,” he said. “Your cold should be gone in a few days,” Miroku said.

Kaede bowed. “Thank you, sir! Come on Rin!”

Kaede looked back at them as she exited the building. Her eyes were squarely on him. 

“Demon,” she whispered.


	2. Group Dynamics

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Inuya goes on a picnic with his new friends.

He liked this new group of friends. He wanted to spend time with them, to get to know them. It was so unlike his other school.

Back there, his father had been an important politician. When father met with his mother and later, when she gave birth to him, a scandal ensued. It caused the entire family to lay low for a long time. Which, needless to say, made his school life difficult because of his status and the scandal. He spent most of his time as a loner. If he didn’t get to know anyone, then they wouldn’t ask about his family.

But here, nobody knew about it.

“Inuya-kun!”

That was Kagome’s voice. What was she doing all the way out here?

She thrust something in front of him.

“Ramen?”

“You looked hungry,” she said with a smile. “Come on, eat with us.”

“Huh?”

They were having a picnic near the Higurashi shrine.  Sango, Ayame, Rin and Kaede were all together. He liked this group. It was so different than being alone.

“This is your family’s place, Kagome?” Inuya asked.

“Yeah. I’m learning from Grandpa to become a priestess of Midoriko,” she said.

“Isn’t that Kikyo’s role?” he asked.

Kaede dropped her chopsticks. She excused herself with Rin hurrying after her.

Awkward silence.

“Kikyo was… called away by the demon,” Sango said.

“What does that mean?” he asked

“Midoriko is at war with a demon, she has been for some time now. Sometimes, when a priestess isn’t strong enough she… vanishes,” Kagome said.

“Is that why Kaede lives with Rin?”

Kagome nodded. “They’re both orphans. The whole town looks after them, though, especially Miroku-sensei.” 

Ayame got up. She brushed off her white skirt. “Sorry guys. I have to go.”

“How come?”

“I have something I need to take care of.”

That would be the last thing Ayame ever said to them.


	3. Boyfriend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Inuya confronts Kouga about Ayame's murder.

Someone had murdered Ayame in the dead of night. The whole of Sengokuzawa was abuzz about it. Everyone guessed it was her “boyfriend.” They were known to argue a lot.

Ookami Kouga and Shirokami Ayame had been friends since they were little. It was a popular rumor around school that they were either dating or secretly engaged. Ayame laughed it off and Kouga denied it loudly.

 Kouga wasn’t that kind of guy was he? The kind who would murder a girl for crossing with him?

Kagome didn’t seem to think so, but Sango wasn’t so sure.

“Kouga’s a wild one. I wouldn’t put it past him to do something to her,” Sango said.

“But Onee, do you think he’d kill Ayame-chan?” Kagome asked.

“Possibly. You’ve seen him when he gets angry, right?”

“Well, yeah, but, he and Ayame-chan were childhood friends…” Kagome began.

“That doesn’t change anything, Kagome. Ayame is still dead!”

Inuya gritted his teeth. Who would do something like that? Ayame was a sweet girl. She was Kagome’s best friend…

He needed to talk to Kouga.

It was a known fact that Kouga ran a small gang. If he could find one of his lackeys then…

He found one of them. a guy with a white mohawk was guarding the door to a café. He could tell by the smell that he was one of Kouga’s group. They all wore a very distinct brand of cologne. 

“I need to speak to your boss,” he said.

“He’s not seeing anyone right now,” said the guard.

“It’s about Ayame.”

“That’s exactly why he isn’t seeing anybody. How do you think he feels with everyone blaming him for her murder? Boss really… loved Ayame; he didn’t kill her.”

“Can he say that to me, Kagome or Sango? Can he admit that to Ayame’s friends?”

The mowhawked guy turned his head. Someone had given him an order. “Get in.”

Kouga was holding a bloody Iris in his hands. Ayame always wore that Iris in her long red hair.

“You going to blame me for her death, too, Inuya?” Kouga asked.

Kouga did seem pretty shaken up.

“Did you kill Ayame?” he asked.

“Of course I didn’t! When I find out who did that to her, I’ll rip their throat open with my bare hands! She didn’t deserve that kind of death. If she was going to die, it should have been in her sleep or something, not torn apart like that.”

He didn’t know the details of Ayame’s death, but apparently it wasn’t a pretty sight.

 “You don’t believe me, do you? Nobody does,” Kouga sighed.

“I believe in Ayame’s judgment and she didn’t think you were a bad guy. If you do find the person who killed her, sock ‘em good for me, okay?”

“Sure. I’ll knock his brains out for you.”

Something about this whole situation didn’t seem right, but if Kouga was telling the truth, who else would have wanted to kill someone like Ayame?

 


	4. White Hair

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Inuya finds a strand of white hair at the murder scene.

The detective of Sengokuzawa was actually from a neighboring area called Furinawa. He was an interesting older man who reminded Inuya of Myoga, of his father’s consultant. They had nearly identical looks. Both men were short, older and had mustaches. It was scary.

  “Such a pity that such a cute young girl had to be murdered so brutally,” said the detective.

“Detective Happosai, can you tell me what happened to my granddaughter?”

Ayame’s grandfather was one of the leaders of the main families that controlled Sengokuzawa, the Shirokami, the Mikono and the Higurashi. Wait, Higurashi? Did that mean that Kagome and Sango could be tied up in this mess?

“Interesting,” the detective said.

“What?”

“This hair; it’s long and white.”

Inuya combed his fingers through his long black hair. Why did he do that? There was no way to connect him to Ayame’s murder, was there?

Kagome and Sango had black hair, too. Actually, the only ones in the room without black hair were the two older men discussing the case. Could the old man have done it? Killed her because she wouldn’t stop seeing the town delinquent?

No, the hair was too long.

Then there was Sesshomaru.

His heart stopped for a second.

His brother? Could he have? He wouldn’t put it past him, but… why? He had no problem with his friends, right? But that evidence could be pretty damning to their already fragile family structure. He had to warn him! He excused himself and headed for home.

“Brother! One of my friends has been murdered. They saw a long white hair at the scene of the crime!”

 Sesshomaru’s eyes narrowed. “Do not worry; I will take care of this.”

It was strange, why was Sesshomaru being so protective of him all of a sudden? This was just like when mother and father had been murdered back in their hometown.

“Sesshomaru, did you kill Ayame?” he asked

“I did not. I had no reason to.”

Then who on earth did the white hair belong to if it wasn’t his brother?

 


	5. Accusations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kouga makes good on his promise.

The next day at school, the mood was heavy. Ayame’s empty desk stuck out awkwardly. The other students began to whisper. Why were they looking over at him?

“Inuya-kun?” Kagome looked concerned. “You okay?”

“Yeah, I just can’t shake this uneasy feeling Sesshomaru’s protecting me somehow.”

 “I wouldn’t worry about it. That’s just what siblings do.  Sis is the same way towards me and we both feel extremely protective of our little brothers.”

“Yeah, but why? What did he mean by ‘he’d take care of everything’?”

“Inuya!” a voice called.

Kouga?

The other boy came after him with great speed and punched him hard in the face.  It turned into an onslaught of blow after blow.

“You bastard! Why did you do it?” Kouga demanded.

“Do… what?”

 He was hit again. “Don’t play dumb! You killed my girl!”

 _What_?

“But …I didn’t!”

He was hit harder than before.

“Liar! You went to see her later that night! The next morning she’s dead! What did you do to her?”

Flashes of memory. A question, an agreed upon meeting, her smile, and then… and then...

Nothing. He didn’t remember anything after that.

“Kouga-kun, please stop!” Kagome cried.  “I’m sure there’s a reasonable explanation!”

Now even Kagome was protecting him.

“Whatever excuse he has to give, won’t bring Ayame back.”

Inuya never thought he’d see Kouga this upset. So the guy did have a soft side for her. He laughed to himself. Kouga had made good on his promise to beat the brains out of Ayame’s murderer. Too bad the one on the other end of that beating was him.


	6. Oyasharo-sama

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Miroku explains about the deity of Sengokuzawa.

Kagome helped Inuya to Miroku clinic.  
  
“Hi Rin, hi Kaede,” she said to the two small children outside his door.  
  
“Hello Kagome,” Kaede said with a bow.  
  
“Inuya-kun, what happened to you?” Rin gasped in horror.  
  
“What’s it look like? I lost a fight.”  
  
“Fighting is bad,” Rin sighed. “I’ll go get Miroku-sensei.”  
  
Rin returned a few moments later, pulling the older boy by the hand.  
  
“And to what do I have the pleasure of treating one of the Higurashi sisters? Oh, it’s just you, Inuya-kun.”  
  
That was not a happy ‘oh.’  
  
“Miroku-sensei, could you?” Kagome asked.  
  
Miroku smiled at her. “Of course!”  
  
Kagome bowed to him.  
  
“And how exactly did this happen?” Miroku asked as he helped Inuya onto the table.  
  
Inuya looked to the side. “Kouga beat me up.”  
  
Miroku grinned. “Oh, did you two tussle over Kagome?”  
  
“Huh?”  
  
“Town gossip says Kouga’s always had an interest in her, but she turned him down.”  
  
“No he beat me up because of Ayame.”  
  
“You made her cry, didn’t you?”  
  
“Something like that, yeah.”  
  
While he was being treated, Inuya’s eyes fell on a strange white carving.  
  
“Hey, what’s that?” Inuya asked.  
  
“That? That’s a carving of Sengokuzawa’s guardian deity, Oyasharo-sama. He’s a dog demon. I’m actually a monk of the order.”  
  
“Wait, a demon guards this place?”  
  
Miroku nodded. “It’s believed the people of Sengokuzawa have demon blood in them. For you see, Oyasharo-sama had a fondness for humans. Apparently, he fell in love with a miko and she had his children. They escaped persecution and settled here, forming the village.”  
  
Inuya looked at the white statue of the dog demon again. He felt something inside of him stir.


	7. Past and Present

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Something's going on in this town...

The feeling did not leave him. It gnawed at the pit of his stomach.

“Inuya-kun, is everything alright?” a voice asked.

When he looked up, he saw a woman he’d never seen before. Why was a miko standing before him?

“Who are you?”

“Inuya-kun, it’s me, Kagome.”

She looked concerned for him. “Sorry, I… guess my brains are still a little scrambled from the fight.”

Kagome sighed. “Stupid Kouga-kun. Ayame wouldn’t have wanted it this way.”

He had to think of something to change the subject.

“Say, Kagome, what’s the Fours Souls Festival for?”

“Oh, that? It’s to celebrate the union of Oyasharo-sama and his miko.”

“Then how come people don’t look all that happy about it?”

“Ah, you see, five years ago a boy disappeared down the Bone Eater’s Well. Since then, someone has died or vanished or… both. Last year, it was Kaede’s big sister, Kikyo. And before that, both of Rin’s older brothers disappeared. Only one of them was ever found, but he lost his mind. He doesn’t even know who Rin is.”

“So Ayame’s death?”

“That’s what the town’s people are thinking, yes. Now all that’s left is for someone to disappear.”

 “Can I maybe help you set it up?”

“Yeah, you can help me set up for my part.”

“What are you going to do?”

“I’m the newly appointed miko in place of Kikyo. It’s been a Higurashi tradition for a long time now. Our domain is the spirit world.”

“Huh, I thought Sango would take that role. She’s the older twin, right?”

“Onee doesn’t have any spiritual powers. I do.”

Why did she sound so sad when she said that?

She took his hand.

“Inuya-kun, I feel something uneasy growing inside of you. If you don’t gain control over it, it will devour you, body and soul.”

“You can help me, right?”

“No. This is a battle you have to fight yourself.”


	8. The Festival of Four Souls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Inuya takes matters into his own hands.

He didn’t remember again.

First Kagome had come to pick him up, and then… and then… He helped her set up for the festival, right. Sango came later and then Rin and Kaede. They had a lot of fun going to the different stalls and playing games.

Too bad Ayame couldn’t join them. She would have liked all of this.

When Kagome began her ritual to invoke Oyasharo-sama…

His head began to hurt.

Sango offered to take him to go get some water.

And now Sango was… Sango was…

What had happened? Why was her arm dislocated from her body? She was crying out for Miroku-sensei.

Kagome…

His hands were on Kagome’s throat.

“I-Inuya-kun…”

What was he doing?

“Inuya!”

Miroku-sensei?

He was surrounded by monks from the order of Oyasharo-sama.

“Let go of Kagome, Inuya!” Miroku-sensei called.

How had… why had he?

“Please forgive me, Oyasharo-sama…. I didn’t… that man… he… took me… by force.”

That was not Kagome’s voice.

“I was willing to become human for you, willing to grant you godhood! And _this_ is how you repay me, by running off with some half-dead corpse! Our children are scorned because of you!”

Whose voice was coming from his mouth? When did his hair turn white?

She looked up at him with pleading eyes. “Please… I love…”

This had happened before.

Ayame, she had managed to channel the miko too. What had she been trying to do?

And then he…

Or was that him?

That didn’t matter anymore.

This cycle… it had to stop.

He tossed Kagome down to the ground.

 She got up quickly, but was held back by Miroku-sensei.

“Inuya-kun!” she cried.

“I’m sorry, Kagome. I never meant to hurt you.”

“That wasn’t you! That was Oyasharo-sama!”

“So what if it was? He stilled used my hands to murder Ayame, to hurt you and Sango… and my parents…”

 Slowly, he walked towards the Bone Eater’s Well.

This was where it all began, wasn’t it? That miko, after feeling betrayed and ashamed, had thrown herself into the well.

Slowly, he stepped onto the edge.

“Inuya-kun!”

 Kagome was crying openly.

“Oyasharo! I don’t know why you chose me, but I’ll make you regret it!”

Slowly, he felt himself fall backwards. He closed his eyes as he plunged down, down into the depths of darkness.

****

Detective Happosai’s case file:

The body of Notaisho Inuya, age: 15, was found at the bottom of the Bone Eater’s Well, a local pilgrimage site. His skull had been cracked open from the fall. Before committing suicide, he confessed to the murder of one Shirokami Ayame, age: 14. A connection to her killing has not been made, seeing as the DNA found at the scene does not match that of Notaisho Inuya . Higurashi Kagome is currently unable to be questioned. She is suffering from shock. The only thing she seems to be able to say is the name of the local deity.

Just who is Oyasharo-sama, anyway?


	9. Being Kagome

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She had always considered herself unfavored.

From the day she was born, Kagome knew her presence in this world was like that of an uninvited house guest.  Sango had been born first, that made her the heir of the Higurashi house. Sometimes, when nobody was looking, they would switch places. Sango would become Kagome and Kagome would become Sango. Nobody could tell the difference back then.

She endured the loneliness of being Kagome for thirteen years.

All of that changed when the miko Kikyo died in an accident during the Festival of Four Souls. It was on that day that Kagome’s spiritual powers began to awaken. The soul of Oyasharo-sama’s lover was her burden now.

Suddenly Sango was no longer the favored sister.  Knowing her grandfather, Sango was going to be cast out of the family if Kagome could not find a role for her.

“Onee, please protect me,” Kagome said.

Sango paused. “Kagome…  I don’t understand. I’m no longer… useful to this family.”

Kagome held her sister tightly and let her cry in her arms. “I love you and want you to stay in this family. You and I are like two halves. I cannot live without you. As the new miko and head of the family, I’ll need someone to protect me form the demons of this town. Onee, will you do that for me, please?”

“Of course I will. I love you too, Kagome. Thank you.”

They had two little brothers; Kohaku and Souta. Neither of them had any spiritual powers, yet they were allowed to still remain in the family.

No. The curse of the miko’s soul was reserved for the daughters.

For two years, she endured being the miko.

When Notaisho Inuya, the black-haired boy with golden eyes, transferred into their school, she knew something was changing inside of her.

He was gruff like Kouga-kun, but not too gruff. He was nice to the little kids like Rin and Kaede. And he was the first person to notice just Kagome.

“You’re amazing, you know that?” he said with a smile.

He said that as if he had never seen a person use a bow before. It made her blush.

Oh how she wished he’d never said those words….

If he hadn’t, things might have turned out differently.


	10. The Tree

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She takes comfort in the God Tree.

In their childhood, Sango and Kagome did not often visit their grandfather in the main house. Usually they stayed with their mother while their father went to visit the old man. When they did go, they enjoyed the large area around the house. It was a fun place to play tag and hide and seek. Kagome’s favorite place was the big old tree.  Somehow, she felt safe to be near it. Sometimes she would climb it and hide out in the branches. Grandfather never liked it when she did. He said she was defiling it. Somehow she didn’t think the tree minded all that much.

Sometimes, when Sango couldn’t stand being the older sister anymore, she would join her hiding in the tree. There they would whisper things and laugh and forget all about the old man and the family name.

“Onee, can I switch with you?” Kagome pleaded.

 Sango looked to the side. “Eh, Grandfather was pretty mad at me before… he might punish you in my place.”

Kagome cocked her head to the side. “What did you do?”

Sango bit her lip. “I got mad ‘cause he insulted you! He said you shouldn’t have followed me into this world. But I don’t think that at all!”

Kagome smiled. “You should take a break, Onee.”

“Don’t get caught.”

Kagome pulled back her hair. “Nobody has noticed yet. I’ll be okay. What’s going on at the house right now?”

“Mother and Father are talking with Grandfather about which of us he’s going to send away.”

Kagome already knew the answer to that.


	11. Kirara and Buyo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Souta wants to do something nice for Onee-chan.

On the thirteenth year of her birth, the heir to the Higurashi family was given a rare breed of cat. It was something of a tradition.

Sango was presented with the golden-furred kitten with red eyes.

“Ah! She’s beautiful! Grandfather, thank you!”

“This is the breed of cat that guarded the miko of legend. Use her well.”

Kohaku’s eyes trailed his younger brother who had just come in from the rain. He was hiding something, he knew it.

“Souta, what have you got there?”

Souta immediately tried to hide what he had behind his back.

“Um, it’s a present for Onee-chan,” Souta said.

“Let me see it.”

“Promise you won’t get mad?”

In his hands he held a wet, mewing kitten of questionable linage.

“You idiot,” Kohaku muttered.

“It’s just she loves cats so much and it’s not fair that Anee-sama is the only one to get such a pretty kitty.”

“Anee-sama is the one true heir to the family line. I don’t know why Grandfather allowed the second twin to live. The miko’s soul can only reside in one body.”

“Still, don’t you think it’s cruel that Onee-chan can’t even have a pet while she’s locked away in that dumb shrine?”

“Be that as it may. It’s the way things are. You’re only asking for trouble, Souta.”

But Souta stood his ground. “I’m going to give him to her! She needs to know that someone in this family on her side! Even if Anee-sama can’t be that person anymore, we can still treat Onee-chan kindly in our own way, right?”

“Fine, but don’t come crying to me when something happens to that cat.”

“I have to try.”

Come to think of it, it was that kitten that changed everything.


	12. Meeting Shirokami Ayame

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Kagome's tiny world is opened.

Kagome’s days were less lonely with the addition of her kitten. She could talk to him while she stayed in the shrine. She was careful to never let him out. She never wanted Grandfather to know of him. When she couldn’t find him one morning, her heart nearly stopped.

“Buyo!”

Thankfully, he hadn’t gone far.

The girl who was holding her cat looked to be about her age, maybe a little younger. She looked different than any other girl Kagome had seen before. Her eyes were green and her hair was red, so unlike the dark hair and eyes in her own family.

“Oh! Hi Sango! Is this your cat?”

All Kagome could do was nod. She had to keep quiet. To the outside world, she did not exist.

“You look nice with your hair down. Are you trying to impress Miroku-sensei?”

Kagome paused. This was new. Onee had someone she liked?  But they told each other everything! Well, Onee had been coming to see her less and less. Souta and Kohaku as well. Was something being decided? For the time being, it would be easier to pretend to be her sister, at least until she got her cat back.

“Ah, well, I wanted to try something a little different,” Kagome said.

The other girl smiled at her and came playfully close to her face. “It’s odd to see the town tomboy be so feminine. I think it fits you in some ways, but don’t change yourself completely for his sake.”

“Um, excuse me, but you’re…”

“You still don’t remember my name? Aww! It’s Shirokami Ayame! I know I’m a new student, well actually, it’s more like I moved back to Sengokuzawa after a long time, but still! We’re in the same class and everything!”

“Sorry, Shirokami-san.”

“I won’t forgive you unless you call me by my given name.”

“Huh?”

She was walking away with Buyo!

“I’m sorry, Ayame!”

The girl grinned. “That’s better! Say, I know this is random, but do you want to run errands with me? I’d go and ask some of the gang to come with me to some of the more shady parts of town, but then Kouga might think things and then a gang war could start if he made too many boys go with me and a fight broke out…”

What exactly was outside the walls of her little world?

“But if the head of the Higurashi family went with me then nobody would even think of bothering me!”

“There are… gangs?”

“Huh, yeah, I guess I sort of told you too much.”

“Are you a member of one?”

“Not officially. My best friend’s the leader of one and I help him out. It’s like a den of wolves in there without me around to look after him. And before you say anything he is _not_ my boyfriend, okay?”

Judging from her expression, she got that assumption a lot. 

“Sango, is something wrong? You don’t seem like yourself.”


	13. The Guardians

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Kagome is being watched...

Souta liked going on missions with Kohaku. It was fun because he got to do all sorts of cool things with his older brother. Kohaku had more experience with being a bodyguard, but they made a pretty good team, all things considered.

Right now, they were following Kagome. She looked like Sango, but she was certainly Kagome. Sango would not have bothered with the Shirokami girl, she was below her. Yet, Kagome followed her and chatted with her. They almost looked like friends.

Souta felt a pang of guilt.

If she had not been born into the Higurashi family, then they _could_ have been friends. However, she was the second- born twin. The one Oyasharo-sama cursed for all eternity.

It was an old story, and at first, he didn’t believe it, it was too cruel.

Oyasharo-sama, the dog god of their land, took a human woman, a miko, as his lover. One of their ancestors, or so Grandpa always claimed. He and old man Shirokami often fought about the miko’s bloodline. Old man Shirokami insisted his granddaughter also was strong spiritually and that the miko was from their family.

But the Shirokami girl had no siblings.

The miko was a woman who both loved and betrayed the great god, Oyasharo-sama, a woman who was revered and yet doomed to suffer for all eternity.

It was said the miko’s soul was split into two parts; the part that loved Oyasharo-sama and the part that hated and cursed him.

Love came first, then hate.

The second-born twin, who would betray them, was locked away to save everyone from suffering her curse.

“This is bad.” Kohaku said.

“Huh?” Souta looked below them.

Their sister had crashed into a boy. He looked to be about her age. He kept his long black hair under a simple baseball cap.

“Oh, hi, Inuya-kun!” the Shirokami girl said with an inviting smile.

“Jeez, Sango, I didn’t know you were this clumsy.”

The look in the boy’s eyes was questioning.

Souta’s eyes shifted to Kohaku. If they didn’t do something fast, if that boy had figured out too much, drastic measures would have to be taken.


	14. Smoke Bombs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Souta must protect his sister.

Souta watched from the safety of the tree as his sister clumsily fell into the boy with long black hair. That boy was too close to Kagome! He could figure out the truth if he really looked at her!

He glanced at Kohaku, who nodded.  They had to stun all of them and make their escape! Now his training would be used to full effect! He tossed the smoke bombs while Kohaku made a dash for their big sister. Swiftly, they pulled her back to the safety of the shrine.

“Sango sure was acting odd, don’t you think, Inuya-kun?” Ayame remarked.

“I guess.”

“Will _you_ come with me? I don’t want to do this by myself.”

“Sure, Ayame.”

Souta wished he didn’t have to do that. Kagome looked like she was having fun with her friends, like any normal girl her age would.


	15. Complications

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Kagome wants to try to change her fate.

She couldn’t stop thinking about Inuya-kun. How he had conversed with her so casually, how interested he seemed in her responses.

Maybe she could see him again. 

No! No!

She had to keep things simple from now on. She was tangled in enough of a mess as it was. Between sneaking out and meeting that Ayame girl, to actually _touching_ Inuya-kun, all the while stealing her Onee’s identity. She was going to get a harsh punishment for this. There was no way she could weasel out of it.

And she absolutely would not mention the cat. If she did, he’d be killed.

Kohaku and Souta had followed her. Of course they followed her; that was their job. When they reported to Grandfather, he would be furious. She laughed to herself. Those boys, they were getting better and better at their job.

That was a blessing for Onee, she’d be protected no matter what, but it was a curse for her.

She loved those boys, yet they were going to give their lives for Onee at some point. It could be years from now or tomorrow.

It all hinged on when she, the cursed sister, decided to take her revenge and attempted to kill her other half.

Their family history was… complicated.

At first, they simply killed the second twin at birth, but the vengeful soul always came back. Possessing one of the high members of their family and forcing them to murder the twin who housed the other half of her soul and whatever member of the family tried to stop her. Then, the soul would drive the body to suicide and the cycle would begin anew when a new set of twins were born.

The two twins had to be kept alive.

The murders always happened around the teenage years, around the time when the Miko first met Oyasharo-sama, when she was betrayed by him.

She didn’t know the details, but they’d had a family together, hadn’t they? How could he betray the woman he loved?

She didn’t believe it. She knew she loved her sister and little brothers too much to do something so horrible to them.  She would break the twisted cycle! She had to…

 


	16. Coming Clean

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Kagome tells Inuya the truth.

Kagome sighed with relief. It had been a few days since her brothers forced her to leave her friends. Everything was back to normal now. Yet, she knew in her heart that it wasn’t. She wanted to reveal herself.

She wanted to get to know them as Kagome.

“Hey, Sango, are you there?” a voice called.

Inuya-kun?

She peeked out for the peephole in the door.

He was there!

She ran out before she remembered to put her hair up like Sango usually did.

“Hey are you alright, you left so suddenly,” he asked.

She smiled and tried to sound casual. “Yeah, sorry about that, family stuff, you know? Is Ayame okay?”

“Yeah, she’s fine. We ran into Kouga and man was he pissed at her for going alone.”

“You were with her though, Inuya-kun,”

Inuya snorted. “I don’t count according to Kouga.”

Kagome laughed. His easy attitude was comforting. She could trust him, couldn’t she?

He looked at her more closely.

“You look cute with your hair down, Sango. You should wear it like that more often. Though I guess, you being the Miko means you have to keep it back to fight demons and the like, huh.”

 Kagome nodded. “The Miko doesn’t really have time to put her hair down.”

“Well, the Miko should be allowed to be Sango every now and again. At least, that’s what I think.”

“Kagome,” she said in a voice that barely left her lips.

“What?” he asked.

There was no turning back now. She looked him in the eye.

“My name. It’s Higurashi Kagome. Ka-go-me.”

“Kagome, huh?” he repeated.

She nodded. “Sango and I are twins.”

 He laughed. “There really are two of you! I thought it was just Sango playing a trick on us!”

“I’m not supposed to exist, really. I’m the Miko’s vengeance. I’m a curse upon my family.”

Why was she telling him this? What would it accomplish?

“I don’t believe that,” he said strongly. “I think you have a right to be whoever you want to be, Higurashi Kagome.”

Whoever she wanted to be…

“The thing I want more than anything right now is… to go to the Festival of Four Souls as myself. Will you go with me, Inuya-kun?”

“Sure. I’ll go with you. I’ll meet you by the old shrine and we can head over from there.”

“Okay! See you later, Inuya-kun!”

“Later, Kagome!”

The way he said her name echoed in her mind for the rest of the day.


	17. Happiness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which something fishy is going on with a boy named Hojo.

Kagome was excited. The Festival of Four Souls was soon. This year, she’d finally get to see it. Inuya-kun agreed to go with her and everything!

She was so happy she could die. Her life was finally just a little bit perfect. So what if she was still pretending to be Sango? She liked to think that her friends could see through the illusion. They could see her as Kagome like Inuya could. Tonight she would be honest with them.

Sango was angry about the switch, but she also understood. It was lonely to be the Miko. So she allowed Kagome to take her place whenever she wanted.

But by taking her place, she learned things. One thing in particular bothered her.

“Sis, who’s Hojo-kun?” Kagome asked.

 Sango paused for a moment. “Oh! He’s nobody important, just a boy who was in my class. He’s Rin’s big brother.”

“Is he nice?”

“Y-Yeah he is. Listen, if someone tries to pass some Hojo family remedy off to you, just accept it, okay? He always meant well, and he was trying to be a doctor, so...”

“Oh! Is he the apprentice Miroku-sensei took on?”

Sango nodded, her cheeks were flushed slightly. “Yeah, he took the three of them in when their parents died.”

“Three?”

“Akitoki, Natsutoki, and Rin.  Natsutoki disappeared two years ago on the night of the festival. It was really quite strange. He never… came back.”

“That’s so sad.”

“Yes, the Hojo line is said to be cursed. Grandfather says it’s because of what happened when outsiders tried to tear down the old shrine. They supported that, you know? The town hated them for it. They had two other brothers, but they died with their parents. Now only Aki and Rin remain in this town.”

Aki? Since when did Sango shorten anyone’s name?

“Kagome, you can’t get close to anyone, understand? Promise me you won’t!”

Kagome nodded, but could not promise anything.

She’d already broken it.


	18. The Darkness in her Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He must be avenged.

She had been betrayed by the very people she loved most.

Grandfather and Mother said she could be happy as long as she did what she was told. So she did everything they said, regardless of how it hurt her.

But they lied. They had always lied. Why didn’t she realize it sooner?  If she had, she could have saved him!

He was so important to her.

He was her most important person other than her brothers and sister.

He saw her for who she really was. He loved her for being that person.

But he got too close to her and then they… they!

Because of them, he was gone.

He wasn’t coming back anymore.

They had “fixed” the problem of him just liked they had “fixed” the problem of their father.

She wanted to apologize to him over and over, but he could no longer hear her voice.

Why did she have to be born with the Higurashi name?

If she had been a different girl, she could have been happy.

She wanted to go the festival with him, but that night he never showed up. She was left waiting by the shrine for hours. It was later that she realized something had happened to him.

And it was all their fault!

Her family needed to pay! All of them did!

The Miko and Oyasharo-sama too!

She could end it!

She could end their whole cursed family and see him again!

She wanted to see him so badly…

She gripped the sword in her hands.

Now, there was no turning back.


	19. After the Festival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Kohaku and Souta come home to an unpleasant surprise.

“Mom! We’re home! The festival was really fun this year!” Souta called.

No answer.

“Mom?”

Kohaku put his hand over Souta’s mouth.

“Something’s not right here. I don’t hear mom or grandfather.”

Quietly, the boys inspected the house.

Nothing was wrong with the living room.

There was a pot still on the stove, but the burner had been turned off and the contents of the pot were cold.

How long had things been like this?

“I don’t like this, Kohaku.”

“Shh, we have to go upstairs.”

Sango’s room was undisturbed. She wasn’t home, but she usually stayed after for kendo practice. Nothing was wrong with their room, either.

It was a creaking sound that alerted Kohaku.

“You stay here. I’ll go look in grandfather’s room.”

Souta tried to stay patient, but when Kohaku screamed, he darted into the room.

He wished he hadn’t.

He really wished he hadn’t.

Hanging from the ceiling of their father’s old bedroom was their mother and grandfather. 


	20. The Identity of the Killer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which things go from bad to worse for Souta. Detective Happosai comes back with another case file.

“W-we, we have to do something, Kohaku!”

“I’m going to cut them down.”

He never got the chance. Something had grabbed hold of Kohaku and hoisted him upward, strangling him until there was no air left.

Something… something in the house had killed him!

Souta ran through the halls.

“Mew!”

It was dark, so he could barely make out the shape of the cat, but it’s soft fur was comforting.

“Souta…”

Lightening flashed.

He saw his sister, her long black hair matted, her clothing covered in blood, a sword raised to strike…

*

Detective Happosai’s case file:

The bodies of the two youngest Higurashi children, Kohaku, Age 11, and Souta, age 8, were found in their home on the night of the Festival of Four Souls. One was strangled. The other had been stabbed.

The elder of Higurashi family was found hanging from a noose in the upper level. His stomach had been split open. The mother had also died in a similar manner, but her body was not mutilated around the stomach.

One of the Higurashi sisters was found dead near the old Shirokami shrine. Authorities are still trying to determine the identity of the dead girl.

eports later found her identity to be that of Higurashi, Kagome, age 15. Her death was reported by one Notaisho Inuya.

When asked how he could tell the two apart, Inuya admitted that Higurashi Kagome had told him of her true identity before the night of the festival. He was sure the body was Kagome’s.

However, the local doctor claims the opposite. The body is in fact that of Higurashi Sango.  

According to an eyewitness, Higurashi Kagome was later seen boarding a train the evening of the murder.

Just who is the imposter here?


	21. The Hojo Siblings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rin recalls some things.

Their first meeting had been a chance encounter. Both of them had gone to pray by the statue of Oyasharo-sama. Kaede was only a little older than Rin was, yet she seemed so mature. Rin figured it was because Kaede admired her older sister, Kikyo.

In contrast, Rin was more childish. She didn’t mind it though. She liked having four older brothers. They were all kind and strong and loved her very much.

One by one the accidents started occurring.

One by one they started to vanish until there was only Akitoki, Natsutoki, and herself.

When they got taken in by the town doctor, she thought her prayers had been answered. She had reclaimed her happiness with her family in this small village.

Then, last year, it happened again. Natsu had gone out for the festival and never came back.

Was it true that her family line was cursed?

At least she still had Aki. She loved Aki the most. He was the oldest, most reliable brother. He would never leave her alone.

They were always together, except for when they couldn’t be, like at school, but even then they would walk with each other to and from school. Rin never minded the extra distance because he was always there, waiting for her to arrive.

Each day, Rin would pray to Oyasharo-sama. For the safety of her parents, for the return of her missing brothers and the continued happy days she shared with Aki.

If only she knew then how cruel Oyasharo-sama could be.


	22. The Death of Kikyo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How Kikyo was killed.

The God was angry. At least, that’s how Kikyo explained it. The storms, the deaths, the disappearances were all because he was annoyed.

“It’s because they no longer believe in him,” her sister would say.  “He wasn’t always a God, you know. Long ago, he was just a boy, and an outcast at that. Truthfully, I feel sorry for the poor God.”

Her wonderful sister, she was always so compassionate and caring. Kaede wanted to be just like her when she grew up.

Well, no, Kikyo could continue to be the Miko. Kaede didn’t want anything to do with that job.

Kikyo died suddenly and violently while trying to shield a young girl. She had been stabbed through the heart by a white dragon-like demon. It ripped her soul out of her body and flew away with it.

Kaede could do nothing but watch as it flew further and further into the dark woods. He sister’s body decomposed, bit by bit, her skin and muscle melted slowly until there was nothing left but her bleached white bones and the outfit she was wearing.

hy had the demons come back now? Where was this great and powerful Oyasharo-sama when they needed him? Why had he let Kikyo, who believed in him, die?

The next Miko had to be chosen quickly. If not, the town would be devoured by demons.

Kaede remembered that Kikyo had been training the eldest Higurashi, Sango, for the job, but Kikyo had mentioned that Sango was not spiritually powerful. She could not protect the town in the way it needed to be.

But who could she trust with the task?


	23. Life Together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rin is invited to live with Kaede.

It was Kaede who asked Rin to live with her after Rin’s brother disappeared. Rin agreed, not wanting to come back to an empty house. She took her few personal belongings and moved into the shrine.   
  
For a time, Rin’s new life was confusing. She was not used to living with another girl her age, nor the responsibilities that came with it. The rules of this house were uncertain to her and their roles had yet to be defined. It was also serene in its own way. Both of them had a place to come home to, company in the dark nights when nightmares crept and loomed over them.  Kaede had demons, too.  
  
She did not speak of them, but Rin could see it in how much of Kikyo’s presence still resided in the shrine.  
  
Rin discovered a love of cooking and mending while Kaede practiced for her miko duties. Kaede was not powerful enough to take over Kikyo’s role completely, but she wanted to do what she could for the sake of the town. Rin respected that. Rin had no loyalty to the town that made her and her families outcasts, but she would be a good girl for Kaede’s sake. For this calm and peaceful existence they both shared.  
  
When the two girls were together, it hurt less. They had become their own little family of two. So long as nothing happened to Kaede, things would be fine.  
  
But Sengokuzawa was a town of many mysteries, and sometimes someone’s past caught up to them, whether they wanted it to or not.


	24. Cursed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kaede does what she has to do.

It was against the town leaders will, but Kaede went ahead with her plan to train Higurashi Kagome to be the next miko of Oyasharo-sama.  
  
Right now, Kagome was the only one who could do it. She was the only one close enough to her sister’s sacred power. Birth order had to be ignored for the sake of the town.  
  
If they did not do something soon, the town would be doomed to repeat the disasters of the past. Most thought they were simply old stories, but she’d seen it happen as a small child when their mother had angered Oyasharo-sama when she refused to serve him anymore.  
  
Demons would rise from the Bone Eaters Well and devour the inhabitants of Sengokuzawa and drag their souls down into the abyss. Oyasharo-sama needed a miko to keep him calm. If his anger could not be quelled, then…  
  
Kaede shook her head.  
  
No, no, she would not let that happen. The needs of the many outweighed the needs of the few.  
  
Kagome would be unwilling to do all that was required of her, Kaede was sure of it, but what choice did she have? If she had the power, Kaede would have gladly sacrificed herself for the people as her older sister had.  
  
But she was just a child. Oyasharo-sama was a god.  
  
Still, child though she was, Kaede would fight.  
  
She would figure out the curse of this town. She would fight it, even if it was the last thing she ever did.  
  
Gently, she knocked on the door of the Higurashi shrine.


	25. Lost Innocence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kaede begins training Kagome.

They did not have time to grieve. Yet they were still children. Kaede was now the teacher, and Kagome was the student.  
  
“Forget everything you were.” Kaede said softly as she lulled Kagome into a trance. “You must prepare for what you must become.”  
  
Kagome felt her spirit rising away as Kaede talked. When she opened her eyes, she was in a different time all together. She watched from behind a tree. There was a woman mourning something. A large dog lay bleeding in a meadow.  
  
“Oyasharo-sama?” Kagome whispered.  
  
“You can’t go! Not like this! I want to tell you more! I want to tell you everything! It was a lie! I swear it was a lie!”  
  
The woman rushed for Kagome and put her arms around her. At first, the embrace seemed loving, but then the woman reached into her chest and felt around. Kagome was paralyzed from the odd sensations.  
  
“Kagome?” Kaede whispered.  
  
“I can feel it… the Miko… she really… loved Oyasharo-sama, but something… happened, didn’t it? She started to explain it, but she didn’t tell him the whole story.”  
  
“One of Oyasharo-sama’s enemies found out about his lover and tainted her.”  
  
“Tainted?”  
  
Kaede nodded. “Some say it was through magic, other say it was a more carnal ritual. Regardless, the Miko was shamed and Oyasharo-sama could no longer touch her. She had lost her divine blessing and through her, he became weak and eventually died. That’s why there are always two victims. A tainted one, and then one who dies.


	26. A Price to be Paid

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kagome sees the miko's death.

“Do you really want your youth that badly?” a voice asked. It was one of the demons. “I can help you, my name is Naraku and I am a very powerful demon.”  
  
“Naraku?” the miko whispered.  
  
 _Naraku?_ Kagome thought. _Who is that?_  
  
“Please, can you make me young again? I want to be with him! I want to be with Oyasharo-sama forever!”  
  
“I can offer that, but there is a price that needs to be paid.”  
  
“I’ll do it! Whatever it takes, I’ll do it! No price is too high!”  
  
“As you wish, I shall give you back your youth.”  
  
The miko felt her skin become young, her hair began to blacken. She had been restored to her former self.  
  
“I’m me again,” she said.  
  
In order to maintain her youth, the miko had to use the souls of other young maidens in the village, but she could not stay this way for long. People were starting to wonder about the disappearing girls. She was caught one night while in the process of absorbing the soul.  
  
“There she is! Murderer!”  
  
“You fools! You can’t kill me!”  
  
But when the flames of repentance touched her, they hurt.  
  
“Looks like your time is up, my lady,” Naraku said.  
  
“But, I was supposed to be immortal!”  
  
Naraku smiled. “I only restored your youth; I did not grant you immortality.”  
  
“You traitor! I trusted you!” the miko cried.  
  
“That my dear was your first mistake.”  
  
She was used as a sacrifice by the village of Sengokuzawa. The flames reached up around her. Her cries of pain reached high into the sky.  
  
 _I’m sorry, my dear Oyasharo. I only wanted to see you again._


	27. The Miko's Wrath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kagome sees the origin of the curse.

Kagome watched as the fire consumed all of the body of Oyasharo-sama's miko. The black smoke thickened and rose into the sky.  
  
"You... fools," the voice of the miko said. "Why did I... have to die for you? I spent my whole life protecting you from his wrath. I scarified everything, and for what? To be shunned. To have my children scorned? to be killed by the very people who begged for my help? Humans really are weak."  
  
Kagome saw the Miko's spirit rise up from the flames.  
  
"Sengokuzawa is a place of torment. So it shall always be. You can run if you like, try to live a life elsewhere like I did, but it will be futile. My wrath will always come for you. You who denied me my happiness and drove me to this; you and all yours shall suffer the most."  
  
"She's out of control." Kagome whispered softly as she shrunk back. "This can't really be the origin of the curse, can it?"  
  
The miko looked directly at her then. Her head turned sharply and her eyes held their gaze."You who gazed too far into the past, what shall I do to you?"  
  
"Eh? I was told this was part of the training! I didn't know you could see me!" Kagome said.  
  
The miko looked her over "I see. So Kikyo is no longer here. Pity. You do seem like a strong enough replacement. Can you endure it? Or will you lose your mind, like so many others who boldly tried to take my place? I'll steel you for the horrors you must face."  
  
"I'm ready whenever you are." Kagome said.  
  
"Good. We shall begin tonight while you dream."  
  
"Um, did you really curse Sengokuzawa?"  
  
In response, the miko laughed and laughed.  
***  
Kagome had agreed to take Kikyo's place as the miko of Sengokuzawa. Kaede beamed at her. "I shall let everyone know at once!"  
  
Kaede was a fast worker, by the end of the week the townsfolk started treating her differently. This must have been what it was like for Sango. Free deserts, people always offering their help, teachers excusing poorer marks on tests, but, it came at a price didn't it? Kikyo had only been eighteen when she died.  How Kikyo died worried her, too.  
  
Why had such a horde of youkai burst from the well? What was the miko's true purpose and what made her so special?  
  
Oyasharo-sama, did he really love the miko as much as she loved him, or was it all a lie? What had Oyasharo-sama gained in all this? Kagome stroked her cat gently as she lay on her bed.


	28. Kagome Kagome...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Who's behind you now?

_Kagome Kagome..._  
  
History would either see her as a hero or a villain for what she had done. She was fine with that. Kagome had made up her mind then, there was no turning back. Zengokuzawa had to be purified. So she purified it. It was Oyasharo-sama's will.  
  
 _Sings the bird inside the cage._  
  
She tried to warn them, she really had, but of course, nobody really listened to her words. They needed proof, after all.  
  
So she gave it to them.  
  
Static news reports relayed the story:  
  
 _An entire village had been murdered. Strange monsters had sprung out of the well in the center of town. They began to devour the people of the town. While some tried to fight off the invasion, it was ultimately useless. Only one young girl has managed to escape the massacre alive._  
  
 _Higurashi Kagome._  
  
Kagome stayed silent as the press tried to understand what had gone on in her home town. She was trying to recover in a nearby hospital, but still they found her. How could they understand? Oyasharo-sama had tired of them; the miko had tired of them. Once, they had been promised protection, but they lost that right long ago when they abandoned the two. The breeze from the outside blew gently from the open window.  
  
She had wanted to save her friends from that fate, really she had. But they never listened. By the time they realized she hadn't lied, it was too late. Even her family had....  
  
The buzzing of the reporters was getting annoying.  
  
Annoying.  
  
So annoying. The monster behind her back was hungry.  
  
Finally, Kagome opened her mouth. She smiled gently as she said the words "The youkai came to play, that's all."  
  
Silence filled the room.  
  
"Youkai?"  
  
She continued to smile. "Yes, that's right. The old stories are true. I've said all I wanted to. Please don't be mad."  
  
She got up and walked toward the window. She looked at the sky.  
  
 _Kagome Kagome..._  
  
She flung herself from the open window. Let the monsters looming over the village take them all!  
  
 _Who's behind you now?_


End file.
